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Uncencered and not always polite!
 

it's been awhile, and sadly, nothing to report!

It's been about 4 months since I've even really paid any attention to this website. I was soooo amped up about the whole lapband journey and everything, and it's as if my train somehow got derailed... not sure what happened, or why. In order for me to get banded, I have to quit smoking. Which I successfully did, for a whole 3 weeks... not even worth getting excited over really lol. I work in the medical field and was able to get the same kind of test they will give me to check for nicotine- after a week of no smoking, I passed it. Which made me super excited and I got the ball rolling again. My PCP wrote the letter of medical necessity, but I forgot to get a letter of medical clearance.... OF course (murphy's law) when I finally got around to calling my PCP about it, over a year had passed since my last physical- so I have to have another physical before they will write my clearance- no big deal- doing that May 9th... so I will be able to turn in my medical records, letters of clearnace from my PCP and my cardiologist, have already done the support groups, dietician, and psych appointment... so I believe they can contact my insurance after getting those. And in the mean time, I have to take a fitness class and a lapband education course (couple hour course that my surgeon requires) then I believe all my requirements are done... I wish I had the ball rolling on all of this back in January, because I probably would have been banded by now... but oh well. Everything happens for a reason I guess. Starting June 1st, I will have 2 insurances for about a month, so hopefully I will be able to have my surgery during that month so my out of pocket expenses won't kill me. Time will tell... Tomorrow is my new "quit date", gotta stick through it again. I think I need to go through the before/after pictures again and give myself a little inspiration lol!!    
RyanTheGirl

RyanTheGirl

0
Angela's Blog
 

I write this as I sit here devouring a bowl of homemade guacamole!!

Since the surgery I have a new love of guacamole. I never did before and now I love the stuff. Crazy good!   Well, I haven't been on here in almost a month. I am down 107 lbs as of today. I had my surgery almost a year ago. One year will be May 12th. I plan on that day posting a look back at the past.   Today I thought I would share a VERY IMPORTANT TIP..............   DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF OR YOUR JOURNEY TO ANYONE ELSE'S. I know, it's easier said than done but it is so important. Everyone is different. Everyone's body responds differently. What works for me may not work for you. It doesn't hurt to try but it is very easy to get discouraged when things don't work out the same as others. It may not be that you are doing anything wrong it's just not in the cards for you at the same pace as others. I see others on here upset because they aren't advancing the same as others. I used to be one of them. I wasn't losing weight as fast in the beginning as others who had surgery around the same time. I compared myself all the time. I don't anymore. I am ME. I have tips and things that have worked for me and it is only as a suggestion to others. It may work for you too and it may not. Trial and error.   Here are few differences I have. I don't drink protein shakes anymore unless I get a fill and I only drink one for that day. I don't eat a mere few ounces at a meal. I eat a salad plate size portion at each meal. This is my surgeon's and lap band's recommendation. Lap Band has even come out with a lap band plate showing the size portion you should have. I was beating myself up over vacation last year because I thought I was overeating. I came back from vacation and had lost 12 lbs. WOW. They told me it was because I was eating more. Okay so I took that advice and ran with it. I now eat that much when I can and I incorporate high protein foods. Life is good and it works for me. Find YOUR niche and you will be so much more happy than you are when you compare how you are doing to someone else.   Much Love and Respect to everyone who is on or are about to embark on this journey!! Angie http://thelapbandexperience.blogspot.com/
anglov

anglov

6
MarieC's Blog
 

Dr. Ortiz in Mexico....any advice???

So, I am new to all of this. I am a single mother of 3 amazing kids. I have gained quite a bit of weight over the last 6 years, I think I had almost every "life changing" event all in a couple of years and I basically ate my way through them....sister diagnosed with cancer, father died, husband of 20 years filed for divorce, moved 3 times in 2 years....now things seem to have settled down, but I am miserably overweight. Like almost everyone else on here, I have tried diet pills (years ago), weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, South Beach only to have limited results.   Now, I am looking at traveling to Tijuana, Mexico to have Dr. Ortiz do the lap band surgery. Any time I mention this to friends, they all panic and say how unsafe Mexico is. I've looked on this site and have read about a couple of people that are thrilled with Dr. Ortiz. I have a friend that went to him 5 years ago and she looks amazing. But I must admit, I'm scared to death. What if I am that one in100 that has a major problem?? I'm an Elementary teacher, so I don't have extra money laying around. Once you have the lap band, are you ever able to enjoy meals again??   If you are reading this and have any advice or suggestions, please, please let me know. Thanks so much, Marie    
mariec

mariec

2
Ellen's Band Journey
 

6 Months Out

Well I am happy to say that today is my 6 month bandiversarry. I go for my next visit on the 10th and hopefully I am still losing. It seems like I am eating a lot lately. I don't know if it is because I am actually humgry or because I am so stressed out. I know that this is a lifelong journey and I am making every effort to do the best I can with this awesome tool that I have. I thank God that I have an awesome support system to help me. I need to get back on track and get my life back under my control. My health is way more importnant than anything that comes my way. Good luck to all of you that are still on your journey's and congrats to those that have made goal. We are shining examples of what the Lap Band can and will do it. I am proud to be a member of this "family".
ellenmarie

ellenmarie

0
ttny007's at the top of the slope with the ski's on!
 

Results from surgeon vist

Good Morning,   Been crazy busy with finals for school but thought I would post an update:   Thursday April 28th I went to Duke for my visit with my surgeon Dr. Yoo. I really like him and his staff which is so important, he is very upfront and says it is a marriage for us and we must be honest and dedicated. I have everything done I just need my last 2 dr appointments I have one scheduled may 5 and june 2, and then everything gets submitted after that. They said they can schedule the surgery as soon as the approval comes thru and they are pretty quick with the scheduling. Dr. Yoo gives his patients his email address and checks it two times a day, everyday and he personally responds.   School is done on May 5th (full time college student), I am going for a long weekend in boston and then taking off on a Cruise for a week. I figure this is a great distraction while waiting for my surgery. School starts again on May 23rd so life will be very busy.   Will post again and put up picks from the cruise!!!   Peace   TT
ttny007

ttny007

0
jeepygurl's Blog
 

A Date???

I am freaking out some, I have been talking to this guy, not a wl person, someone who is adorable, in shape was big as a kid but has been in shape since his early 20's, and he wants to meet... He has seen a picture, and although we seem so alike I am scared, I have not had a date in a year, it's been all about me, work, school, surgery, the gym..... There are a few things I am not crazy about, 1) he is younger, and 2) he has kids, 3 of them from 2 babies mama's.....   Help???
jeepygurl

jeepygurl

4
KrisW's Blog
 

Sleeping habits...

I have a questions for all. Did your sleeping habits start to change with the pre-op liquid diet? Both Thursday and Friday when I came home I was ready for bed. I am usually a stay up late person. Never to bed early. But 830 and I was in bed Thursday and Friday I don't know what time because i feel asleep on the couch. Now I will admit when I wake up between 5-6am I feel so rested and like I could run a marathon. (I said like )   Today is only Day 3 and I am still doing ok. My daughter and I went to see her Dad at work then walked the mall and window shopped. Then on the way home we stopped at the grocery store and got a few things they needed for meals. I was surprised I didn't grab everything off the shelf. Although when we turned to go down one isle I told her I couldn't and we skipped it. (Happened to be the isle with snacks and chocolate and candy oh my)   I did have a good laugh Wednesday and forgot to share. I should have read more of the post about warming protein because I put HOT water in it and it curdled. Never knew it would do that. I sure know it now. I had to laugh but I was really looking forward to trying the sample I bought. Darn.   Well I am ready as I can be for tomorrow, the terrible day 4, I've heard that is the worst?   Talk more later.   ~Kris
KrisW

KrisW

0
freelance frog's Blog
 

My Favorite F word is Friday (and other nonsense)

TGIF! Today was hard. Actually, today was easy, too easy, and that made it hard. Are you confused yet? Good! Me too! Today I realized that it's getting easier to eat, and it's time to start being super careful about what goes in my mouth. I knew it would happen at some point before my first fill. Dr. Holloway even warned me. I hoped it would be a little bit closer to my first fill date, but it's now. Bleh! What this means to me, is that right now it would be very easy to cheat my band. I've always known it was definitely possible to do, but for the first two weeks my band felt so tight that I had no interest in making myself uncomfortable by eating very much at all. It's time to be very vigilant and I'm up for the challenge. After all, I have a beach goal to work on! I simply HAVE to buy a new swimming suit before the last week in June. Period.   I also had my first "omg it's stuck" incident this morning. One would think that an incident like that would scare me away from eating anything else for the rest of the day.. and it did make me slow down... a LOT. It did not, however, make me overly concerned about what I needed to be eating. That didn't happen until later this afternoon when I realized that there truly haven't been any foods that I simply can't eat right now, although obviously tortillas are going to give me a little hell since that's what got stuck this morning. So, while I'm still not eating even close to what I used to be able to eat, it occurred to me that the quality of the food I can eat needs to be much, much better, or I'm going to find myself screwed! Tomorrow I will start keeping a food journal, and my plan is to attempt a version of the WW points system that works out to the number of calories that I need to adhere to. I'm also going out of town tomorrow for a quick trip to a much larger town, with much more fabulous restaurants in it where I will be tempted beyond belief to eat delicious food that can't be found at home. Thank goodness it's only an overnight trip or I could be in trouble!   For those of you who don't understand the whole banding concept I will tell you that it's not as easy as just getting a band put in and losing weight without trying. It's entirely possible to "eat around the band"! It's pretty easy to cheat if you so choose. To make the band work for you you have to work hard. You still have to diet, you still have to exercise, and you still need to remain extremely conscious of the quality of food that you put in your body. In case anyone wondered, it's definitely not the easy way out. The band is simply a tool to remind me when I've had enough, and until I get my "sweet spot" fill (which could take a few months) I will have to be pretty careful. It's not that the band isn't already working. It is. But I'm not feeling optimal restriction yet and I guess I'm just feeling overly cautious.   So, that's all I've got besides the fact that my scale hasn't budged in two days and I haven't abused it yet! That's something.. right?! Thanks for stopping by!   http://www.myotherbutt.blogspot.com
freelance frog

freelance frog

2
Eloisa's Blog
 

Back to liquids only! This isn't good - support please

Well, I've been having this horrible pain in my shoulder that makes my left arm extremely weak, and at this point I don't think it's gas (banded 4/21/11). I called my doctor and he put me back on fluids only. This is gonna be bad and I'm so discouraged right now........just asking for good vibes and words of encouragement sent my way please!!!!! thank you in advance
eloisavgarcia

eloisavgarcia

4
Kris' VSG Blog
 

Changing My Goal Weight

I've been thinking a lot and decided to change my goal weight from 125 to 132. At 132 lbs. I will still be with the "normal" BMI range but to me the 7 lb. difference is major. I have not been in the 120s since I was in jr. high school, like age 14 or something. I did get down into and maintained my weight in the low-mid 130s for several years in my 20s, so I know what it's like to be in the low 130s. In my 20s I would jog 3 miles a day and do exercise videos and followed a strict <1500 calorie/day diet, and never could get much below 130 ... now that I am older and not as active, I figure it will be a great achievement to get back into the 130s and stay there so that is my new goal. As a result of this goal change, I am suddenly a bit closer to goal -- nearly mid-point as a matter of fact. That is a great feeling! The first few months have gone by quickly and for the most part easily (except for bad snack cravings, something I will blog about more this weekend).
Kris

Kris

0
Blog 90135
 

Need a fill

Well, I had a little fluid taken out about 6 weeks ago, due to me getting sick from all of the drainage when I got a cold. And, I have been naughty....very very naughty. I have no idea who much fluid she took out (although, I'm guessing not alot) and it made a HUGE difference). However, I need it put back in ASAP! My weight has officially stalled completely out. I can eat more than I should and am hungrier in between meals. I keep gaining and losing the same 3 pounds. I had an appointment a week and a half ago, but had to reschedule, due to work conflict. The soonest they could get me in was May 16th, but I am going to BEG to get in sooner, if they have a cancellation, next week. I ate a donut (I know, I know) with absolute ease and no problem. I am leaving for Mexico in less than two months and was hoping to have a little better weight loss by the time I left. I want my restriction back. Unfortunately, it just means that I have to work on my self control a little harder :-) On the plus side, I'm walking more, hoping to counteract the new position of being able to eat any type of food (not that I should).
qtney1

qtney1

2
KrisW's Blog
 

Day two of liquid diet....

The last visit with the surgeon went well. I had to sign all the paperwork and he went over everything with me again. I love the fact that he is a straight forward doc he isn't really "Nicey nice" he tells you like it is and what to expect. I brought up this forum and he thought it was a great tool. He said you need people who understand and have gone through it. My hubby didn't get to go with me to this visit (someone had to pick up the child from school) so he had a lot of questions but lucky me I came home with a copy of everything I signed so he read that first and said well I guess that answers all my questions.   Yesterday was the 1st day of my liquid diet and other than feeling extremely tired at the end of the day it went well. I have heard it is day 3-4 that you really struggle so I am preparing for that. I ordered a bunch of protein samples and they came in the mail yesterday so I will have variety the next 2 weeks. So far the Nectar brand is my favorite. I have a limited amount of protein I can try because on top of everything I am lactose intolerant. I might try some of the soy protein too but they seem high calorie. I guess I'll need to do more research on that.   Oh, I love my hubby and daughter. He was off work yesterday so he pick her up from school and got her homework done and dinner done before I made it home from work. He made his famous fried chicken. I am so glad they where done before I got home. I know I tell him I have to get use to food being around and they have to eat. But I love the fact he is thinking of me and how that would have made me feel.   Today is day two. I woke up feeling great. I think a little from getting so much sleep because I was so tired yesterday. So I hope today goes well.   Hope everyone has a great day.   ~Kris
KrisW

KrisW

0
mammadukes112's Blog
 

OMG PIZZA

Guilt thats what I feel. I was banded on the 20th of April and believe it or not I ate a slice of pizza. I feel guilty a little bit and need to get my head back in the game. I was actually able to hold it down. Surprise I did cut it in little pieces and chew chew chew. Has anyone else done the extreme like me.
mammadukes112

mammadukes112

2
The Sweet Spot
 

4/29/11 They're Coming To Take Me Away

*Note: I just added my last 5 blogs here today and only this one shows up on the 'blogs' page (You'll have to click on 'The Sweet Spot' next to my name on the blogs page to view the other four). I'm losing it...No, not weight (still in my 155 holding pattern). I'm losing my mind.   I went to see my surgeon, but I'll get to that in a moment (stay tuned for some LB info. below). I've been working on making pillows for the great room. I found the same fabric as is on the new recliners at JoAnn's. So I made four throw pillows for the couches. Then I recovered the bench cushion for the church pew to match (not shown yet). I stood back to admire my work and realized that I'd gone all Maria Von Trap with only one fabric...and it was the only fabric in the room (no window treatments in this room)...more than a little too matchy-matchy.   So, back to JoAnn's for some more pillows (I decided to try my hand at some fancy pillows for the pew, since it's not sat on unless we have a crowd) and after bringing home lots of swatches I picked four new fabrics. Off to the fabric store once more and I found three of them and put them in the cart to be cut. Half-hour later and I still couldn't find the fourth fabric, so I asked an employee for help...in answer to the her question 'No, I have no clue which section of the fabrics I got the swatch from'. She found it in minutes and put it on the cutting table for them to cut for me.   Home again and I start cutting my shapes for the pillows...hmmm...this fourth fabric has some snags and looks like it wont hold up very well...I start pondering going back for a different fabric...and then...   ...the lightbulb goes off...     ...I'm looking at the backside of the fabric!   ...OMG, no wonder I couldn't find the fabric! It's solid, but more golden on the back and has a totally different weave (of course, stupid). I curse my blonde hair. So I also decided to make pillows for the recliners. And here are my fancy pillows and cushion for the pew (I just looked at images on Google to get some ideas to copy). Tons of work with different trims or beading on each one, and I'm not sure I even like them (the contrast of the cream fabric bugs me), but I'm hoping they'll grow on me.       *Portion of Post Deleted For LB Book   Follow me here: http://bandgroupiethesweetspot.blogspot.com/  
Band_Groupie

Band_Groupie

1
The Sweet Spot
 

Ketchup

...or should I say Catsup...no, make that Catch Up...   So much going on here that I didn't get a moment to even post my already completed posts...my Bandiversary, my scheduled visit to my Surgeon, my new projects...   ...but those will come this week...   ...let's catch up on the other important other stuff...life!   It's the last day of Spring Break here for DS2, and DH took off a few days last week, so thus the busy week. He's got a crazy schedule the next two weeks, so we (OK, my 'honey-do list') needed to get lots of things done...he's got a late dinner today, off to Italy tomorrow with three guys from China, gets home late Saturday night and then has to catch a flight about 4 hours later out west for the week...ugh...I don't miss work travel. He's going to miss my Birthday and his this week *sigh*.   DD spent the weekend with us, but DS1 had some big projects due and finals coming up, so unfortunately he couldn't get home from college.   Saturday was our 29th Anniversary...we were supposed to go out Friday, but I had a stomach bug...and since DD was home Saturday night, we spent it with the kids and made a pact to do something big next year for our 30th.   We had fun dying eggs...DS2's eggs...can you tell he loved the 'tie dye' kit best. We had a great time watching movies together and playing games...DD peed her pants laughing (she must have gotten my incontinence genes) when we played 'Just Dance 2' on the Wii and DH and I did a duet dance (DH has two left feet, but he beat me anyway because I was laughing so hard).   DD and I did some girly things...painted our toenails...we dyed our hair in honor of Easter...mine turned purple...well a gray purple (I swear, wish I'd thought to take a pic), and not on purpose...and then we fixed it...and I let DD trim my hair for the first time for fun (it kept getting shorter and shorter...and I had to get out the scissors to even a few things up this morning). I gave DH's hair a trim for his trips (I started trimming people's hair in college, so you know I'm a professional LOL...besides, as he would say, there's not much left to trim LOL).   Here are the kids...DS2 hamming it up after finding his hidden basket... DD opening her 81 eggs after the big hunt. Yes, we still hide an obnoxious amount of eggs for each kid (the older they got, the more we hid) in different rooms in the house...and yes, they still love the hunt...I'm sure we'll still be doing this until they have kids of their own. I made a great Easter brunch (OK, pick your chin up off the floor...yes...I cooked)...with a new recipe for a toasted crusty bread and savory egg casserole...YUM. We had the traditional Easter ham dinner, with some new appetizers (the Pittsburgh potatoe perogies were a little bland...I need to look up a sauce for next time).     *Portion of Post Deleted For Lap Band Book Folllow me here: http://bandgroupiethesweetspot.blogspot.com/
Band_Groupie

Band_Groupie

0
sassychica's Blog
 

2 months before 1st fill??? :(

ok I am kinda bummed out right now...I had surgery on 3-22 and I havent gotten my first fill...Dr is not going to see me till the 5-20th...I feel like I am gaining weight! I wont weigh myself because I am afraid of what I will see. Did anyone go threw this in the begining? I am able to eat anything except red meat! what should I do??? Please help
sassychica

sassychica

2
Getting closer to fine
 

Upper GI in the morning

Once more unto the breach of the Atlanta traffic in order to go and drink the vile stuff that makes my insides light up to see what I'm all about in there. We want no surprises on surgery day. Then to lose another 5-10 pounds in the next 3 weeks and then, yes then, to submit my puny plea to the insurance gods so that they might smile upon me and grant the means by which to have my gastric remodeling done.
Rainydayz

Rainydayz

0
sashields' Blog
 

10 days pre-op

Well, Tomorrow I start my 10 day pre-op diet. I must say the days leading up to tomorrow I have eaten every thng that I think I may never eat again. Like bread and steak. I sam sure I have gained week in the last two weeks. I am a little scared of tomorrow. Espesially starting a diet on a Friday. But I want this bad so I will do it. My surgery is May 10, in York Pa, so I am excited and scared. One day at a time, right?
sashields

sashields

1
lorieloraine's Blog
 

My Lap Band is not working anymore

Hey has anyone else found that the Lap Band only works for a short time and then it stops working? I Lost about 65 pounds> I had the Lap Band done March 9th 2009. But now it seems that I have gained all the weight back. I just had a fill March 28th 2011 at the hospital under x-ray. Do I need another fill? Any suggestion will be appreciated greatly Lorie Loraine </FONT>
Lorie Chepurko

Lorie Chepurko

8
SoCalAvsFan's Blog
 

Day 7 : Hitting The Wall

I knew this day would come. It really is simple science to realize that eventually everyone will 'hit the wall'. The only question is when will they and how hard. Well today I got that answer.   I have hit the wall, and I have hit it hard.   The day started with a sleepless night.. I only got about an hour and a half worth of sleep. After getting up I felt extremely week for the rest of the day..   I simply felt like a zombie, but had no appetite at all. I also was extremely thirsty but I had a hard time wanting to drink.   I spent the day very dizzy, very lethargic, and simply just bad.   I had a protein shake for breakfast, for lunch I had a small cup of beans to try to get some fiber in my system.   Unfortunatly I ran into a VERY stressful situation with my phone company. This was the first time since my surgery where I had to face stress from something unrelated to my surgery. Needless to say I did not handle it well. I felt like a sickening feeling was rolling from my head to my toes, no amount of medication could stop it.   The night did not get any better. I had 2 poached eggs and some apple sauce. I cant say that it is hunger pains that I felt, but simply just an overall aching feeling..   Thankfully I will be seeing the doc on saturday, and hopefully he can check me out..   I have significant bruising near the port area, but i assume that its normal   So far only 1 of the stitches patches has fallen off, I thought more wouldve fallen off by now..   I really hope tomorrow is a better today as today was just awful =/    
SoCalAvsFan

SoCalAvsFan

1

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